The 10 Coolest Comic Book Watering Holes

It’s a universal fact that people like to drink. And, for those of us who prefer not to do it alone, in our underwear at home in the dark, bars become important places. Whether working up a good drunk, getting buzzed, meeting new people or just hanging out in a lively environment, the bar environment offers all kinds of social amenities for people to enjoy.

And why should comic book heroes and villains be any different? If anyone needs to cut loose and unwind, it’s the people catching school buses from falling off bridges, stopping worldwide alien invasions and putting an end to corruption in a city that doesn’t appreciate it. And surely most supervillains want a chance to have a few beers after having their plans for world domination foiled for the nth time. We’ve combed through our comic collections to find the 10 most interesting, wild and dangerous bars, pubs and watering holes in all of comics. Consider this a pub crawl through comic-dom. Pull up a stool and start up a tab — just remember, don’t drink and fly.

10) Ace O’ Clubs

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Found in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum, the Ace O’ Clubs is your basic dive bar populated by dock workers and other rough characters. Purchased by Bo “Bibbo” Bibbowski after one-time vigilante Gangbuster dropped a winning lottery ticket in the vicinity, the bar has played host to some pretty heavy hitters from Superman and Lobo to a battle between Aztek and Parasite. Things have been quiet there for a while, but we bet Bibbo’s still hanging out wearing his trademark “Sooperman” t-shirt and serving beer and whiskey like any good Irish pub.

9) Harry’s Hideaway

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A little out of the way place found in New York’s Salem Center, Harry’s Hideaway became a favorite spot of students from Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Regular visitors included Wolverine and Nightcrawler as well as the rest of the gang. The Hideaway hit a bit of a snag a few years back when a kerfuffle between Cyclops, Jean Grey and Caliban destroyed the place, but investor Warren Worthington III and Hank McCoy better known as OG X-Men Angel and Beast helped rebuild soon after. With the X-Men and most mutants moved to their own island off the coast of San Francisco, Harry’s has definitely become less of a hot spot, but still a must see for any mutant aficionado.

8) Iceberg Lounge

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The Iceberg Lounge, an upscale nightclub and casino in Gotham City, was opened by one of Batman’s few enemies to go straight — or at least seem to — Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot. The longtime umbrella enthusiast claimed to have gone straight, but never seemed too far away from the criminal activities in Gotham. On any given day, colorful characters from Gotham’s underbelly can be seen from the Riddler and the Joker to Trickster and Batman–usually crashing through a plate glass window. If you’re up for a classy yet dangerous night on the town, the Lounge is the hot spot!

7) Clark’s Bar & Grill/Domino

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When touring the Wildstorm Universe — prior to that whole apocalypse thing — you absolutely have to head over to Clark’s Bar & Grill. You have to have a secret ID to get in and follow the no gorillas, Bizarros, evil duplicates, wing tip haircuts, amalgaming and exceptions rules, but once inside you can scope out members of WildC.A.T.S., Stormwatch, the Authority and string-puller John Lynch. Unofficial reports also state that dimension-hopping heroes and villains can be seen in the background, so keep your eyes peeled.

6) Noonan’s Sleazy Bar

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If you like your bars a little skeezy, then Noonan’s in Gotham is right up your dark alley. Formerly frequented by the metahuman assassin Tommy “Hitman” Monaghan and run by Sean Noonan before his death, Noonan’s Sleazy Bar was home to many a hero sighting including Batman, Superman,Catwoman, Green Lantern, Lobo and a demon called Baytor who tended bar. With so many of the regulars dead, it’s unclear whether Noonan’s is still open, but it’s worth looking into.

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5) Croma Zone

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Even time travelers need a place to chillax after a hard day of messing with the time stream. For the denizens of the DC Universe, that place is Croma Zone. Chronos hangs out there while the Cronovore destroys parts of time only to be disrupted by the Flash from the 853rd Century. Eagle-eyed patrons will recognize the bartender as Ambush Bug and the Legion of Super-Heroes’ Brainiac 5 hanging around outside with pet monkey Koko. Croma Zone’s the best place to get any cocktail from any era.

4) Oblivion Bar

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Anyone who’s anyone with magical or mystical abilities can be found at the Oblivion Bar, but good luck finding your way in without knowing a little hocus pocus (or holding one of the bar’s matchbooks). While entrances to the mystical pub can be found all over, the establishment itself can only be found in a pocket dimension. Formerly run by Shadowpact’s Nightmaster and a telekinetic dude named Flippy with fins for hands the Oblivion currently belongs to Detective Chimp and acts as headquarters to the supernatural Shadowpact team. The bar has also been known to house heavyweights like The Phantom Stranger, The Demon, Deadman, Doctor Fate and even New God Mr. Miracle. With access to dimensional distributors, expect to down all kinds of previously unexperienced spirits and booze.

3) The Bar With No Name

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Marvel good guys need not look for The Bar With No Name, especially after one of those crazy vigilantes called Scourge murdered 17 supervillains while posing as a bartender in the Ohio incarnation. The key to the Bar With No Name’s success is that it’s never in the same place twice and continues to float around the country in an effort to avoid the law and give bad guys a place to unwind after a long night of sullying society.

2) Warrior’s

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A few years back, Guy Gardner left the Green Lantern Corps and set out on his own under the new codename Warrior. To go along with his new name and powers, Gardner also opened a bar called Warrior’s in New York to act as a Planet Hollywood-type showcase for superheroes and memorabilia. As you might expect, the original Warriros had a tendency to get destroyed with all those heroes around, but that didn’t stop Gardner from opening another location, this one on Oa, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps. Not exactly a tourist hotspot, Oa’s not the easiest place to get to, so unless you know someone in the Corps, this one might be a long shot.

1) Kadie’s Club Pecos

Kadie’s Club Pecos might not be the flashiest bar on this multi-dimensional tour of drinking establishments nor filled with heroes and villains you’ve followed for years, but it does feature strippers that look an awful lot like Jessica Alba. Be careful, though, people have a tendency to go missing or just plain old end up dead in Sin City, even tough bastards like Marv and Hartigan. But, for some, the risk might be worth the reward.